October 11, 2013
October 11, 2013 is the fifteenth and final entry presented in Max's Journal in "Episode 5: Polarized". This entry is tailored to the choices made by the player throughout the episode. October 11, 2013 Page 1 October 11 (...I guess) I watched Chloe die again. Killed by my favorite teacher. Why? Because we were stupid and let Jefferson trick us with a phony text. So we ended up back at the junkyard, and fell right into his trap. We should have called the police the second we found Rachel, but I had gone along too far with Chloe. I keep thinking I'm invincible, that I'm a real everyday superhero... but no, I'm just Max Caulfield. Maybe all my powers are an accident of fate. Or am I being punished like Chloe? What have we done to deserve all this pain? What did Rachel do? Kate? William? Then there's Mark Jefferson... I can't ever call him "mister" again. I'm still shocked that he turned out to be the one hiding behind the Dark Room, but if I think back on those "pieces of time," Jefferson has been dropping hints all along. It makes me sick to think how long he's been doing this for — and to whom. Page 2 The needle... I can still feel that needle on my skin. Thank God I can't remember Jefferson posing me for most of his sick session. Imagine all those other people who had to suffer through that horror... like Rachel and Kate. That made me determined to get out of that room, at least to stop him and save Chloe. I had to use my focus rewind on multiple photos so often that even I got confused. Worse still, I knew I was screwing around with various realities again, but I had no other choice. Chloe would not die in a junkyard next to Rachel Amber. And there was no fucking way I was going to let Jefferson be the last person I ever saw. It's hard to even imagine myself in that studio alone with Jefferson acting like that... Everything was so neat and sterile, but it felt like the filthiest place on Earth. If I didn't have this ability to bend time, what would I have done? What could I have done? Sometimes I felt removed, like I was looking at myself going through this hell. But thanks to Jefferson's class photo, he personally helped me to escape. |-|Blame David= I'll never forget the way Jefferson looked at me, so cold and mean... I felt like I was on one of those awful true crime shows my mom binge-watches... How does somebody become evil? He actually shot Chloe in the head. Just like that. Motherfucker. Now I feel terrible that I blamed David for harassing Kate.... especially since he was after Jefferson all along. We could have been working together if David wasn't so paranoid. |-|Blame Jefferson= I'll never forget the way Jefferson looked at me, so cold and mean... I felt like I was on one of those awful true-crime shows my mom binge-watches... How does somebody become evil? He actually shot Chloe in the head... just like that. Motherfucker. Now I'm glad I blamed Jefferson for Kate, so at least there's a paper trail for his actions. If only I had David Madsen's info. And to think that I felt guilty about narcing on Jefferson... |-|Blame Nathan= I'll never forget the way Jefferson looked at me, so cold and mean... I felt like I was on one of those awful true-crime shows my mom binge-watches. How does somebody become evil? He actually shot Chloe in the head... just like that. Motherfucker. I wish the police had taken Nathan in, after I told Principal Wells that he drugged Kate. He might still be alive and maybe he would have taken down Jefferson too... |-|Victoria Believed Your Warning= I also feel so terrible that Victoria had to end up in here with me, just because I warned her about Nathan. I should have known that she would rush to Jefferson for protection. Instead, he kidnapped her and almost murdered her... because of me. Page 3 I can't believe I was able to focus and rewind into my selfie all the way back to art class on Monday. I turned in my photo for the contest, after I sent a text to David warning him about Jefferson. Whew. The only reason I haven't had a total meltdown is the fact that I do have this incredible power. I have to use it right for once... and maybe never again. It was weird to be in class with Jefferson, like I wasn't just tortured by him in an underground bunker. I saw him for the first time as he is: a creepy, manipulative psychopath, filled with bullshit. He uses art and passion to seduce people, but behind that there's nothing but hate and perversion. I only pray that I can fix this timeline, not fuck it up. Max to the future. It feels like I finally made things right. Chloe is alive. David Madsen became a real everyday hero by busting Jefferson and his dark room, along with Nathan and his father. The Prescotts have lost control of Arcadia Bay. Now I'm the official "Everyday Hero" on my way to San Francisco with Principal Wells, who is a lot more funny and laidback when he's not stressing about Blackwell Academy. It's hard for me to totally relax but all those pieces of time seem to be falling into place. Page 4 The Zeitgeist Gallery was a trip. Why does somebody so shy like me want to be famous for her photographs? I don't care about people kissing my ass, I just want to hang out with great artists and learn from them. It was so sweet that my work was displayed in a respected gallery and I got to experience that public response. But I'm not a fan of the spotlight. That Berkeley reporter made me feel like I wouldn't even know what to say. "Oh yes, this selfie represents my soul." I'd tear up my own pictures if I ever talked like that. But it was so nice just to have a safe, peaceful moment for myself, where my dreams came true instead of my nightmares. I had a real vision of my future and who I wanted to be. So I won't feel bad about rewinding time once again to destroy my contest photo. The storm is still coming to Arcadia Bay, which means Chloe's life is still in danger. No prize or exhibition is worth losing her again. At least I can use my picture for a truly important reason and yet again try to fix the machineries of time that I keep breaking... Page 5 So I did it. Back in my room again, erasing another timeline... or does that reality go on without me? Am I just creating knots in time? My biggest fear is that I won't be able to rewind when I most need to... or even remember what I've done. And my head does feel like it's going to burst if I keep on doing this. My nosebleeds are a bad omen. Yet I'm here — I can rip up my contest photo and still warn David about Jefferson. It just means I won't be going to San Francisco. Yet. And I have to protect Chloe from one storm. I knew things were going too easy. And I messed it all up. As usual. Jefferson was pissed that I had torn up my contest photo, freaking out about my "wasted talent." Bastard torched my diary, so I couldn't even rewind using my art class selfie. So my whole plan took a shit and I couldn't text David about Jefferson... which is how I ended up back in this evil Dark Room, after I thought I had escaped. |-|Victoria Believed Your Warning= The worst thing was seeing that Victoria was gone and knowing that Jefferson had already killed her... all because of me. I've never felt so helpless and hopeless in my life. It made me even more determined to rewind time and save Victoria as well..." Amazingly, it was David Madsen who turned up to save me. Thanks to his own surveillance, he was almost Jefferson's shadow and tracked him down to the farmhouse. I was able to use my rewind for good and actually help David battle Jefferson. I do know that the only way I can save Chloe now is to get that picture that Warren took of us in the parking lot. I just hope he's okay in this storm. |-|Hide The Truth= Finally, I didn't tell David about Chloe... I couldn't. He might have killed Jefferson. |-|Tell The Truth= Finally, I told David that Chloe was dead... and he killed Jefferson. I have nothing else to say. Page 6 For the first time since my visions, I was able to see the storm manifest in this reality. When I felt the sharp wind from the tornado, everything became more desperate. I was so relieved to get ahold of Warren, but he's definitely trapped in the Two Whales diner with the photo. Yes, this looks like a job for Super Max. I borrowed Jefferson's car to haul ass and found that Nathan left me a sad voicemail. He only wanted to warn me, to not be blamed for Rachel. But Jefferson wouldn't forgive him.... Apocalypse Arcadia Bay. I've never felt the raw force of nature, but this storm is ground zero. My town is being destroyed and I'm so furious that I didn't pay more attention to my visions. I could have warned and saved so many people... instead of watching them die around me. I decided I needed to fulfill my destiny, whatever that was, and use my powers for good and more importantly, to not be afraid. There was no more time for fear. So I barely made it to town and helped as much as I could, until I had to rewind to stop a raging fire from blowing up the diner. At least I was able to do something. Page 7 |-|Frank Dead= I almost cried when I saw Joyce and Warren, even though they were scared. But they're strong too and helped everybody in the diner. |-|Frank Wounded= I almost cried when I saw Joyce and Warren, even though they were scared. But they're strong too and helped everybody in the diner. Including Frank, who clearly hates me. |-|No One Hurt= I almost cried when I saw Joyce and Warren, even though they were scared. But they're strong and helped everybody in the diner. Including Frank, who I was glad to see alive. |-|Don't Kiss Chloe/Hug or Leave Warren= Considering how insane my life has been this week, kissing Chloe or Warren in the middle of all this time warping would be too strange. I can't even think about my love life... or lack of one. But if I was going to die, maybe I should have kissed one of them for posterity... |-|Don't Kiss Chloe/Kiss Warren= Considering how insane my life has been this week, kissing Warren in the middle of a deadly storm didn't seem to be that strange. It felt like we were flipping off the cruel universe... and if I was going to die, I wanted one kiss from a boy I cared about. |-|Kiss Chloe/Hug or Leave Warren= I'm glad Warren is such a good friend. Considering how insane my life has been this week, kissing Chloe instead of him didn't seem that strange. It felt like Chloe and I were flipping off the cruel universe... and if I was going to die, I wanted one kiss from my best friend. |-|Kiss Chloe/Kiss Warren= Considering how insane my life has been this week, kissing Chloe, then Warren, didn't seem to be that strange. Both times it felt like we were flipping off the cruel universe... and if I was going to die, I wanted one kiss from two people I truly cared about. The main thing was that I had Warren's photo and I would get one last chance to save Chloe. I felt queasy considering what a mess I've made, but there was no going back anymore. Warren rules. I was able to rewind to the End Of The World party with his photo and I felt like I was getting more confident with my time travel skills. It's always hard to deal with Chloe when only I have the benefit of knowing her future. But the one thing Chloe appreciates the most is honesty so I told her everything, from when she was paralyzed to the Dark Room to San Francisco. She didn't want to believe that David was so heroic, but she knows I wouldn't lie. And I could tell Chloe felt awful for what Jefferson did to me. Page 8 |-|Chloe and Max are Friends= Chloe is back! I didn't even care that this was the real end of the world... It just felt so good to hold her again after everything we'd been through. I thought about all the timelines I'd jumped through for her, and how much she's always meant to me... Our lives have always been entwined. How could this not be some kind of fate or destiny? Even though we're opposites in so many ways, we're also so alike. We'll always be pirates in spirit and we'll always want to take on the world... I like to think Chloe and I are here to always support each other. Best friends forever, right? |-|Chloe and Max in Love= Chloe is back! I didn't even care that this was the real end of the world... It just felt so good to hold her again after everything we'd been through. I thought about all the timelines I'd jumped through for her, and how much she's always meant to me... Our lives have always been entwined. How could this not be some kind of fate or destiny? Even though we're opposites in so many ways, we're also so alike. We'll always be pirates in spirit and we'll always want to take on the world... It sounds so stupid to say that she's my hero, but if not her, who else? Sometimes Chloe and I feel like yin and yang. Who knows? Maybe we're here to give each other strength... or more. Page 9 |-|Chloe and Max are Friends= There is nothing like the sense of relief after waking up from a vivid nightmare. Despite all the terrible things that have been happening this past week, I felt so free and hopeful when I finally woke up. And my nightmare was so obvious... All my fears about being an artist, about my rewind power and of course, about my partner in crime and time, Chloe Price. We've been through so much together and we might go through more, depending on how this all ends... either in Heaven or Hella... Sorry, I couldn't resist. Chloe will always be my best friend, but who knows how she really sees me? I know she wasn't mad I didn't kiss her... I feel like we're more family than couple... just a couple of dorky kids who grew up in a fucked up, amazing world... Maybe that's why I hated watching Chloe being so cruel in the nightmare, calling me names and trying to hurt me... I was surprised that it was like a physical pain in my heart. Is that the power of love... or friendship? I believe you're about to find out, Max Caulfield. |-|Chloe and Max in Love= There is nothing like the sense of relief after waking up from a vivid nightmare. Despite all the terrible things that have been happening this past week, I felt so free and hopeful when I finally woke up. And my nightmare was so obvious... All my fears about being an artist, about my rewind power, and, of course, about my partner in crime and time, Chloe Price. We've been through so much together and we might go through more, depending on how this all ends... either in Heaven or Hella... Sorry, I couldn't resist. Chloe is more than my best friend, but who knows how she really sees me? She did dare me to kiss her, but she seemed surprised that I actually did. I am too, but I don't regret it for a second. Maybe that's why I hated watching Chloe being so cruel in the nightmare, calling me names and flirting with all those people... I was surprised that it was like a physical pain in my heart. Is that the power of friendship... or love? I believe you're about to find out, Max Caulfield. References